Today on #WorldAutismAwarenessDay, let us all stand together in celebration and support of every individual with autism. Let us recognize their unique gifts and seek to understand their challenges. Let us learn from their perspective and the ways they experience the world. Let us include them, always.
I thank friends for asking about Jukie’s adjustment to our new realities living with COVID-19. People with autism typically find predictability in their routine necessary for comfort and survival. They need to know what to expect in any given situation and to be offered time to adapt to proposed changes. Jukie loves school. The sight of his school bus pulling up each weekday morning fills him with joy. Long weekends are hard on him. Spring break is hard on him. Quarantine has been especially hard on him.
Struggling without his routine, Jukie has taken to pacing upstairs. “You must really miss school,” I say to him. He signs, “yes,” and studies me, waiting to hear when school will resume. I know that he must miss trips (what we call adventures) to the grocery store and the farmers’ market. He must wonder why we haven’t taken him to a restaurant or to a movie theater in so many weeks now. I watch him look out his bedroom window at the cul-de-sac below. He must be wondering where all of his adventures have gone, and when they might return. Jukie has multiple underlying conditions which put him at high risk for a severe reaction to this virus, so we are not taking any chances with his health.
I feel sad for Jukie, and for all of us, but I also recognize our good fortune. We have a grassy backyard in which Jukie may frolic and a trampoline on which Jukie may jump. We live on the greenbelt path which weaves all through the town of Davis, stretching for miles, and a puppy who needs our company on long walks — one of Jukie’s favorite activities. We take Jukie to the Arboretum where he can watch the ducks and squirrels and commune with the horses and the donkey. If he’s lucky, he may see an otter or a great blue heron. Jukie’s a nature boy, so our walks have always been part of our daily routine.
As we all learn to navigate our new normal, we feel our anxieties rising. We’ve developed domestic routines that we must follow, and we find the dangers and the unpredictability of the outside world frightening. Perhaps our new, shared experiences offer us insight into the world of someone with autism.
Let’s all support one another. Let’s show solidarity with individuals with autism today and every day. 💙
